This invention relates to methods of assembling motor vehicles and, more particularly, relates to a method for providing a hydraulic control system for the vehicle and a plurality of electrical control systems for the vehicle.
The assembly of a motor vehicle is a complicated and time consuming process involving substantial labor and materials costs. Any method whereby the assembly of the vehicle can be simplified therefore produces direct cost savings to the vehicle manufacturer. In the past, it has been proposed to simplify the installation of a friction clutch release apparatus for the vehicle by providing a prefilled master cylinder and slave cylinder assembly to the manufacturer which is thereafter installed in prefilled form on the vehicle to provide a hydraulic control system for the vehicle clutch at a minimum of labor. Prefilled master and slave cylinder apparatus of this type are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,860 assigned to the assignee of the present application.
Prefilled apparatus of this type have achieved wide acceptance in the automotive industry because of the substantial time saving effected by the delivery and ready installation of the prefilled assembly onto the motor vehicle. Many other control systems for the vehicle continue to be provided by the use of assembly processes that are relatively complex and relatively labor intensive. For example, the modern day automobile includes many electrical control systems and, in general, these systems are individually installed in the motor vehicle during the assembly process utilizing assembly processes that are both time consuming and subject to assembly error.